How new third baseman Gio Urshela impacts roster plans for Detroit Tigers

LAKELAND, Fla. — Gio Urshela, an eight-year MLB veteran with more than 4,600 innings at third base in his career, fielded groundballs there throughout Friday's infield drills on the backfields in TigerTown.

It was his first day of spring training with the Detroit Tigers, five days after their first full-squad workout and one day before their first spring training game. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract Thursday with the Tigers.

"It certainly impacts our team because he does a lot of things well," manager A.J. Hinch said Friday. "He's a nice player. He can do things on defense. He's handled the bat very well. ... We have the next five or six weeks to sort out how it impacts the rest of the roster."

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Urshela, a right-handed hitter, could be the Tigers' everyday third baseman — or a utility player who primarily plays against left-handed pitchers. His role, for now, will be determined by performance.

The Tigers won't declare anything about Urshela's role on his first day in camp. They need to evaluate him, but it's a low-risk investment. If he hits like he did in 2022 — when he swatted 13 home runs in 501 at-bats — he likely becomes an everyday player. If he hits like he did in 2023 — when he had just two homers in 214 at-bats — he likely is a platoon player.

"We feel like he can strengthen our infield defense," president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Friday. "He has pounded left-handed pitching pretty much his entire career, and especially over the last three years. We feel like he fits our roster because he has a chance to strengthen our infield defense but also allow A.J. to reconfigure the rest of the diamond to strengthen our outfield defense."

Urshela will play first and third base in spring training.

He enters a crowded room of players are competing for reps at third, joining infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling (right-handed hitter), infielder Andy Ibáñez (right-handed hitter) and infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry (left-handed hitter).

Vierling, an experienced outfielder, was tabbed as the primary third baseman coming into spring training. He spent the first three days of full-squad workouts at third, but he has transitioned back to the outfield over the past two days.

"I told him the best way he can contribute is being an answer at a lot of different places," Hinch said. "Now, I said that before we signed Gio, and nothing changes in that message."

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Vierling spent his entire offseason preparing to play third after finishing last season at the hot corner for the Tigers. He understands he might not get as many opportunities at third, but he isn't worried about Urshela's presence cutting into his playing time because of his versatility.

Most of Vierling's playing time has come in the outfield throughout his three-year MLB career.

"I know he's a great player and everything like that," Vierling said. "Wherever A.J. needs me and wherever things shake out. I'm still doing outfield stuff. I'm still going to do third base stuff. I'll keep carrying on as usual and see how everything shakes out."

Vierling plays all three outfield positions, so the addition of Urshela frees up the Tigers to use Vierling in center field — instead of Parker Meadows — against left-handed pitchers. Vierling' situation 's versatility also protects the Tigers in center in case Meadows struggles to hit right-handed pitchers and needs to be sent down to Triple-A Toledo, considering the Tigers moved Riley Greene to the corner outfield positions in part to protect his health.

"He plays so many positions, so we need to bunch them together," Hinch said of Vierling. "He's going to play the first couple of times that he plays in the outfield. He's then going to play a couple of back-to-back games at third base. I'll move him to the corner outfield, as well."

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In Friday's workout, Urshela and McKinstry took ground balls at third base, while Ibáñez and rookie Colt Keith took grounders at second base.

Vierling was in the outfield group again. He is scheduled to start in center for Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the New York Yankees at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.

With Urshela and Vierling on the roster, and with Keith likely to serve as the everyday second baseman, the Tigers appear to have five players competing for two openings: Ibáñez, McKinstry, outfielder Akil Baddoo (left-handed hitter), infielder Ryan Kreidler (right-handed hitter) and outfielder/designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy (right-handed hitter).

Ibáñez and McKinstry are the most likely of the five candidates to make the Opening Day roster, thus sending Baddoo, Kreidler and Malloy to Triple-A Toledo, but a lot can change in the next five weeks.

The arrival of Urshela certainly increases the competition.

"Give me that problem," Hinch said. "I'll manage people, manage expectations of them and continue to say this is going to be a competition. You can't sit in my chair and complain about too many options. I know there are a lot of players wondering how they fit in, but quite honestly, before yesteryear, they wondered that too.

"We added a really good major-league player, and that brings the conversation to the forefront, but I think a lot of these guys felt that coming into camp."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Gio Urshela impacts Detroit Tigers roster plans for 2024